The Public Accounts Committee Recommendations that clinical pharmacologist (specialists in drug prescribing and medication issues) be employed in each hospital district and pharmacogenomics is actively pursued and funded.

Last month (September 2018) the New South Wales Public Accounts Committee delivered its findings following its inquiry into the delivery of healthcare services.

The Committee heard harrowing confidential testimony and received submissions from health consumers who had been misdiagnosed and mistreated as mentally ill when in fact they were having an adverse drug reaction precisely explained by pharmacogenomics.

These consumer stories led The Committee to seek testimony from Professor Ric Day, an internationally recognized clinical pharmacologist and expert in pharmacotherapy, drug reactions, and interactions.

Following his testimony, The Committee made two key recommendations, to employ more specialists (clinical pharmacologists) to improve safe prescribing practices and adverse drug reactions and to actively pursue and fund pharmacogenomic testing for patients with a mental illness.

Whilst these recommendations relate to mental health if implemented this is likely to have wide-ranging effects for not only those on mental health medicines but health consumers in general. The same principles apply and many adverse events mimic mental health conditions as the consumers testified.

But these are recommendations. The Government has six months to respond which means that we collectively have six months to lobby the NSW Government, and six months to use these recommendations.

You can read the full transcript of their report on medication management below.

There are now several pathology companies providing genetic testing for how people react to drugs.

There is a lot of difference in the way individuals handle medication and this can now be tested by a method called pharmacogenomic testing.

This type of testing is now available through doctors, selected pharmacists and even online together with a nominated doctor. The costs of these tests continue to come down as technology advances.

Despite all of this many doctors do not support this type of testing and some obstruct patients who are wishing to get tested. Why is this so? I will try and give you a short explanation of why this is so.

Firstly let me introduce myself. My Name is Dr. Leslie Sheffield and I am a Consultant Physician and Clinical Geneticist. I have served over 30 years as a clinical geneticist providing public genetic counseling services in South Australia and Victoria.